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Cafe by the Ruins Breakfast!

April 17, 2012

I can still remember the story when Cafe by the Ruins was about to close down: They announced the last day of operations, and then a lot of Manileños decided to go up to Baguio and pay tribute to the restaurant.

Ever since that time, they were touched by how much foodies love Cafe by the Ruins, and the next generation decided to continue it. As a thank you gift, they released their first cookbook entitled, “Café by the Ruins: Memories and Recipes“.

This is one of the few remaining restaurant institutions in Baguio and the only reason we would brave the traffic of the commercialized area of Session Road.

I’m glad that the boys were able to experience it, and I do hope more Filipino generations can visit it for years to come.

We love their different chocolate versions, but the best one is still Rizal’s Tsokolate-e, which is local cocoa with rich carabao’s milk, that has just the right sweetness and thickness. This is perfect with a simple pandesal or ensaymada.

The best part is dunking pieces of ensaymada in the cup (so they absorb the hot chocolate) and eating it with the salty queso de bola. It’s even better if you “fight” and eat it all at once. (Masarap kung nag-aagawan! 🙂 )

Chocolate de Aqua (P80 +10% service charge) with Brioche Cinnamon Toast (P120 +10% service charge). A mug of pure, bittersweet chocolate tablea dissolved in water, the Mexican way, with a touch of sugar.

The Chocolate de Aqua version is a diluted chocolate drink, which loses a lot of its flavor when mixed with water. The cinnamon toast really looked good but it did not deliver on taste.

This is probably one of the best Champorados we’e ever tasted — I can’t even remember if there’s one that could rival it in Manila. The best part is pairing it with the salty servings of crisp, boneless dilis.

This is really good, especially on a nice chilly morning or on a rainy day.

I miss it a lot, and I can’t seem to find classic champorado this good anywhere in Manila these days.

Baguio breakfast is always fun in Cafe by the Ruins. We ate here with the three boys (Aidan, Joshua and Raphael) with their cousins (Carlos and Sophia) with no yaya. Hats off to parents with 5 kids! 🙂

When you’re in the resto, check out the dap-ay, an area similar to the place where Ifugaos would meet for rituals or gatherings in their villages.

For an authentic Baguio dining experience, delicious signature breads, and thoughtful food pairing combinations, head over to Cafe by the Ruins. Don’t leave Baguio without visiting it! 🙂

Full Disclosure: Nothing to disclose. We paid for our meals. We are not connected with the establishment and any organization promoting it.

P.S. It’s a bit traffic now going to Cafe by the Ruins, so we dine there in the morning, during the non-peak hours of traffic along Session Road. We don’t like Session Road that much anymore because it has become too commercialized. We only go there for Cafe by the Ruins and the market after to buy pasalubong.

About me

Anton worked for the biggest multinational company in the Philippines
for 12+ years, straight out of college, before finally quitting his day job to become a full-time Online Media Entrepreneur.
OurAwesomePlanet.com, which he started in 2005, is the number #1
food and travel media in the Philippines which aims to promote the “Food and Travel Secrets in the Philippines” and to
inspire Filipinos that living in the Philippines is truly awesome!
Anton Diaz received the first Tourism Star Award for media by
the Department of Tourism for his valuable contribution in promoting
Philippine cuisine and destinations through his blog Our Awesome
Planet thereby encouraging tourists to visit and taste the best in what the Philippines has to offer.
Our Awesome Planet is recognized as one of the Top 50 Travel Blogs in
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5 comments

I hope Cafe by the Ruins will be able to withstand the commercialized Session Road. : ( So sad to hear about this road.
On another note, I miss the Nick Joaquin sandwich there + their strawberry concoctions! I want to try their champorado!
I am surprised to read that the Chocolate de Aqua is not flavorful. For chocolate drinks of this kind, water and a bit of sugar are the only ones added to experience the full and real taste of chocolate. It is actually milk or cream that “dilutes” the flavor of chocolate as the former have their own taste while water is just a medium to liquify chocolate.
Anyway, thanks for this post. It is good to see the kids experiencing some of our younger memories of this place. I think we have to bring our baby here soon before it all disappears.

You’re right, you shouldn’t leave Baguio without dropping by Cafe by the Ruins. However, my past 2 most recent experience (Dec 2011 and Feb 2012)have not been very encouraging – food taste and service quality. My favorite is Kesong Puti Salad but it was not available in my last 2 visits. Sad!
I hope they would protect their reputation as a “must to go” when in Baguio. We haven’t tried their breakfast though as we like to snuggle in bed longer when in Baguio. Hopefully, it will also be a nice and pleasant experience.

you actually enjoyed this restaurant? this is one of the dying food places in baguio because it just is bland, boring and stereotypical.
and guess what. YOU, mr food blogger oh i know everything, you like it.
this is a joke. what a shameful palette you have. you should switch jobs, mr. diaz, and quit fooling people and marketing the wrong places and negatively publicizing the wrong places. i beg you.
i am not a hater, i am just disappointed in your euse à voir pallet.
oh so you can’t understand french? i thought you were SOOOO gourmand?
🙂 it means UGLY PALETTE

pricey!
A peso or two to reach Php 1000 for a breakfast is so not worth it.
The breads are ok, but i prefer BreadTalk or Toastbox over this overrated bakery.
About their cocoa tablea sort of drinks, are not that impressive compare to Jollibbee’s.
Pardon my ignorance, but the overall verdict for us, is Poor.